A record that stood for seven decades has fallen.
To little surprise, perhaps, given the widespread flooding throughout the city on July 16, Toronto set a new monthly rain record, breaking a tally that had stood for 70 years.
According to the Weather Network, Pearson International Airport saw a total of 214.88 mm of rain in July, surpassing the 213.8 mm record from October 1954 — when Hurricane Hazel passed through the Toronto area — by one millimetre.
Of the July rainfall total, 97.8 mm fell on July 16 alone. That downpour led to flooding on major roadways like the Don Valley Parkway and Lakeshore Boulevard and in TTC subway stations including the hub of Union Station, as well as widespread power outages.
The month started with the GTA being hit by torrential rains from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, which was followed by the July 16 deluge.
Rain on Tuesday that hit Pearson pushed the tally past the record.
“It’s official — a 70-year-old record has been washed away! July 2024 will go down in the history books as the wettest month ever recorded at Toronto Pearson, according to historic data provided by Environment Canada,” the airport posted on X.